Gender in French

We have a bad and a good news for you : as opposed to English, French words have a gender. That's the bad news. The good news is that French words can have only two genders : masculine or feminine. Unfortunately, there is an additional bad news : the distribution of the words in the masculine and the feminine genders does not comply to any logical rule. Therefore, the only way to know the gender of a word is to learn it by heart!

All nouns in French have a gender, either masculine or feminine. For the most part, you must memorize the gender, but there are some endings of words that will help you decide which gender a noun is. Nouns ending in -age and -ment are usually masculine, as are nouns ending with a consonant. Nouns ending in -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -t, and -ette are usually feminine.

Indefinite Articles (A, An, Some) Masculine Feminine Plural des gants some gloves

un lit a bed

une pomme an apple

Demonstrative Adjectives (This, That, These, Those) Masc. Masc, Before Vowel Fem. Plural ces gants these/ those gloves

cet ce lit oiseau this/that this/that bed bird

cette pomme this/that apple

If you need to distinguish between this or that and these or those, you can add -ci to the end of the noun for this and these, and -l to the end of the noun for that and those. For example, ce lit-ci is this bed, while ce lit-l is that bed.

Masculine definite article: le [leu] Feminine definite article: la Masculine indefinite article: un Feminine indefinite article: une [?n']

The Roman invasion of Gaul The French language is a Romance language, meaning that it is descended from Latin. Before the Roman invasion of what is modern-day France by Julius Csar (5852 BC), France was inhabited largely by a Celtic people that the Romans referred to as Gauls, although there were also other linguistic/ethnic groups in France at this time, such as the Iberians in southern France and Spain, the Ligurians on the Mediterranean coast, Greek colonies such as Massalia (i.e. present-day Marseille), Phoenician outposts, and the Vascons on the Spanish/French border.

It is estimated that 12 percent (4,200) of common French words found in a typical dictionary such as the Petit Larousse or Micro-Robert Plus (35,000 words) are of foreign origin. About 25 percent (1,054) of these foreign words come from English and are fairly recent borrowings. The others are some 707 words from Italian, 550 from ancient Germanic languages, 481 from ancient Gallo-Romance languages, 215 from Arabic, 164 from German, 160 from Celtic languages, 159 from Spanish, 153 from Dutch, 112 from Persian and Sanskrit, 101 from Native American languages, 89 from other Asian languages, 56 from Afro-Asiatic languages, 55 from Slavic languages and Baltic languages, and 144about three percentfrom other languages (Walter & Walter 1998).

Modern French For the period up to around 1300, some linguists refer to the ol languages collectively as Old French (ancien franais). The earliest extant text in French is the Oaths of Strasbourg from 842; Old French became a literary language with the chansons de geste that told tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades.

By the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterts in 1539 King Francis I made French the official language of administration and court proceedings in France, ousting the Latin that had been used before then. With the imposition of a standardised chancery dialect and the loss of the declension system, the dialect is referred to as Middle French (moyen franais). Following a period of unification, regulation and purification, the French of the 17th to the 18th centuries is sometimes referred to as Classical French (franais classique), although many linguists simply refer to French language from the 17th century to today as Modern French (franais moderne).

From the 17th to the 19th centuries, France was the leading power of continental Europe; thanks to this, together with the influence of the Enlightenment, French was the lingua franca of educated Europe, especially with regards to the arts, literature, and diplomacy; monarchs like Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia could both speak and write in French.

Modern issues There is some debate in today's France about the preservation of the French language and the influence of English (see franglais), especially with regard to international business, the sciences and popular culture. There have been laws (see Toubon law) enacted which require that all print ads and billboards with foreign expressions include a French translation and which require quotas of French-language songs (at least 40%) on the radio. There is also pressure, in differing degrees, from some regions as well as minority political or cultural groups for a measure of recognition and support for their regional languages.

Main article: French phonology and orthography French pronunciation follows strict rules based on spelling, but French spelling is often based more on history than phonology. The rules for pronunciation vary between dialects, but the standard rules are:

single consonants, in particular s, x, z, t,p,r, d, n and m, are normally silent. (The final letters 'c', 'f', k,q and 'l' however are normally pronounced.)

When the following word begins with a vowel, though, a silent consonant may once again be pronounced, to provide a "link" between the two words and avoid a hiatus. Some liaisons are mandatory, for example the s in les amants or vous avez; some are optional, depending on dialect and register, for example the first s in deux cents euros or euros irlandais; and some are forbidden, for example the s in beaucoup d'hommes aiment.

The t of et is never pronounced and the silent final consonant of a noun is only pronounced in the plural and in set phrases like pied-terre. Doubling a final consonant and adding a silent e at the end of a word (e.g. Parisien Parisienne) makes it clearly pronounced, always.

elision or vowel dropping: Monosyllabic words such as je or que drop their final vowel before another word beginning with a vowel. The missing vowel is replaced by an apostrophe. (e.g. je ai is instead pronounced and spelt j'ai). This gives for example the same pronunciation for "l'homme qu'il a vu" ("the man whom he saw") and "l'homme qui l'a vu" ("the man who saw him").

nasal "n" and "m". When "n" or "m" follows a vowel combination, the "n" and "m" become silent and cause the preceding vowel to become nasalized (i.e. pronounced with the soft palate extended downward so as to allow part of the air to leave through the nostrils). Exceptions are when the "n" or "m" is doubled, or immediately followed by a vowel. The prefixes en- and em- are always nasalized. The rules get more complex than this but may vary between dialects.

French word order is Subject Verb Object, except when the object is a pronoun, in which case the word order is Subject Object Verb.

Single vowels a Pronunciation: like the first "a" in "marmalade" or in"heart", but just a little bit less open. Examples: table (table), sac(bag), chat (cat), rat (rat), baggage (luggage), san(his/her), bras (arm), matin(morning). Similar sounds: (more open than a)

e Pronunciation: like the indefinite article "a" in English with a sharper sound, or like the second a in "marmalade". Examples: cheveu (hair), deux (two), second [segon] (second), oeuvre (work, as in master works), soeur (sister), heure (hour), beurre (butter). Similar sounds: "eu" and "oeu". The latter one is more open than e and eu.

Pronunciation: like the English "ee" but shorter. Examples: pipe (pipe), minute (minute), courir (to run), midi (midday), nid (nest).

o Pronunciation: two different sounds: an open "o" more or less as the English "more" and "for" a closed one like the English "go" and "low" Most of the times the "o" in French is open. It is closed when located at the end of the word. Note that the difference between open and closed "o" is not as stressed as it is in English between the words "open" and "control". Examples: Open o: botte (boot), grotte (cave), dvelopper (to develop), homme (man) Closed o: vlo (bicycle), indigo (indigo) Similar sounds: (to a closed o): "au", "eau", "". Examples: eau (water), auto (car), contrle (control).

u Pronunciation: the French sound for "u" does not exist in English. While in most languages "u" is pronounced like the u in "bush", in French it differs dramatically. The French "u" is exactly the same sound as the German "". As we're going to see later, the sound "u" as the English "bush" exists in French as well, but it is formed by the vowel combination "ou". Examples: voiture (car), minute, humain (human).

y Pronunciation: pronounced the same way as a double French "i". Examples: noyer [noi-ier] (to drown), rayer [rai-ier] (to scratch), loyer [loi-ier] (lease), pays [pai-i] (country).

French letter(s) a, , , et, and final er and ez e, , , ai, ei, ais i, y O O Ou oy, oi U u + vowel c (before e, i, y) (before a, o, u) c (before a, o, u)

English Sound ah ay eh ee oh shorter and more open than aw in bought oo wah ew wee s s k

g (before e, i, y) ge (before a, o) g (before a, o, u) Gn H J qu, final q R s (between vowels) Th X

Zh Zh G Nyuh Silent Zh K Rolled Z T ekss, except as s in six, dix, and soixante in liaisons, like z

g (before e, i, y) ge (before a, o) g (before a, o, u) Gn H J qu, final q R s (between vowels) Th X

Zh Zh G Nyuh Silent Zh K Rolled Z T ekss, except as s in six, dix, and soixante in liaisons, like z

a b c d e f g h i

ah beh seh deh uh eff zheh ahsh ee

j k l m n o p q r

zhee kah ell em en oh peh koo air

s t u v w x y z

ess teh ooh veh doo-blah-veh eeks ee-grek zed

It's / That's c'est There is/are and but now especially except of course so so not bad voil et mais maintenant surtout sauf bien sr comme ci, comme a pas mal

say vwah-lah ay may mahnt-nawn sir-too sohf bee-ahn sir kohm see kohm sah pah mal

There is/are Here is/are always often sometimes usually also, too again late almost

il y a Voici Toujours Souvent quelquefois d'habitude Aussi Encore en retard Presque

eel-ee-yah vwah-see too-zhoor soo-vawn kell-kuh-fwah dah-bee-tewd oh-see awn-kore awn-ruh-tar presk

book pen dog cat

le livre le stylo le chien le chat

leevr stee-loh pah-pyay shee-ahn shah

pencil le crayon krah-yohn paper le papier

friend (fem) friend (masc) woman man girl boy

une amie un ami une femme un homme une fille un garon

ew nahmee ah-nahmee ewn fawn ah-nohm feey gar-sohn

Formation of Plural Nouns

To make a noun plural, you usually add an -s. But there are some exceptions: If a noun already ends in an bus(es) s, add nothing. If a noun ends in -eu or -eau, add an x. If a masculine noun ends in al or -ail, change it to -aux. Some nouns ending in -ou add an -x instead of -s. boat(s)

Sing.

Plural

le bus le bateau

les bus les bateaux

les horse(s) le cheval chevaux knee(s) le genou les genoux

There are, of course, some weird exceptions: un il (eye) - des yeux (eyes); le ciel (sky) - les cieux (skies); and un jeune homme (a young man) des jeunes gens (young men).

In most cases, the final e in a word is not pronounced. Examples : bouche [bouch'] (mouth), jambe [jamb'] (leg), lampe [lamp'] (lamp). When followed by a doubled consonant (l, t, p, r, m, n), e is pronounced like the English -ay as in "say", "bay", but without the glide towards i and more open. In French, this sound is referred to as "" (e with a grave accent). Examples : pelle [pl'] (shovel), mettre [mttr'] (to put), lettre (letter), terre [tr'] (land).

Vowels and consonants combinations ou Pronunciation: like the "u" in "bush" Examples: bouche (mouth), genou (knee), cou (neck) oi Pronunciation: pronounced like the combination "oa" Examples: oie (goose), doigt [doa] (finger)

au, eau Pronunciation: "" Examples: eau (water), bateau (ship) ai Pronunciation: "" Examples: maison [mson] (house), j'ai (I have), lait (milk), mauvais (bad)

eu, oeu Pronunciation: "e" Examples: feu (fire), bleu (blue) ui Pronunciation: "-i" (two sounds) Examples: aujourd'hui (today), fruit (fruit)

er, et Pronunciation: "" Examples: boucher (butcher), boulanger (baker). Exceptions: hier [ir'] (yesterday), et (and)

on Examples: bon (good) an Examples: an (year) en Examples: vent (wind) in, ain, ein Examples: matin (morning), main (hand), pain (bread)

r The French "r" sound is fairly different from the english one. In English, "r" is soft, round. In contrary, in French, "r" is guttural and must be pronounced like Scottish people do (maybe, a little bit less guttural !).

j The French "j" is pronounced like the English "g". Examples : jardin (garden), jour (day). g In French, the pronunciation of "g" depends on the subsequent character. If followed by "a", "u", or "o", "g" is pronounced like the "g" in "garden". If followed by "e" or "i", it is pronounced like the second "g" in "language". Examples : langage (language), langue (tongue).

gn The French sound for "gn" is very similar to the Spanish "" or like the sound "ni". Examples : gagner [ga] (to win), mignon [meeon] (cute).

ch The French "ch" is pronounced like the English "sh". Examples : chambre [shambr'] (room), chat (cat), chaussure (shoe).

h In French, the character "h" is not pronounced when located at the beginning of a word. Examples : haricot [arico] (bean), homme [om'] (man), hche [ach'] (ax)

s As in English, most French words add an "s" when plural, however, the last "s" in a word is never pronounced. Examples : maison and its plural form maisons are pronounced the same way. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule, for instance, plus (more) is pronounced [plss].

la/une table (the/a table) le/un sac (the/a bag) le/un chat (male cat), la/une chatte (female cat) le/un bras (the/an arm) la/une soeur (the/a sister) la/une bouche (the/a mouth) la/une jambe (the/a leg) la/une lampe (the/a lamp) la/une terre (the/a land) la/une botte (the/a boot) la/une langue (tongue) la/une chambre (room)

le/un jour (the/a day) la/une nuit (the/a night) la/une voiture (the/a car) le/un frre (the/a brother) le/un pre (the/a father) la/une mre (the/a mother) la/une tte (the/a head) la/une maison (the/a house) la main (the/a hand) le/un pain (the/a bread) la/une tasse (the/a cup)

When a word begins with a vowel, the definite article that precedes the word is contracted whatever the gender is : une assiette (a plate), l'assiette (the plate) un oiseau (a bird), l'oiseau (the bird) un animal (an animal)l'animal (the animal) une aragne (a spider), l'aragne (the spider) une auto (a car), l'auto (the car)

Plural articles The plural form of the definite and indefinite articles is very simple for it does not vary according to the gender: Definite article: les (both feminine and masculine) Undefinite article: des (both feminine and masculine)

Singular: la table Plural: les tables Singular: un chien Plural: des chiens Singular: une lionne Plural: des lionnes

Some usual expressions merci (thank you) s'il vous plat (please) bonjour (literally "good day", means good morning/ good afternoon) bonsoir (good evening) bonne nuit (good night) au revoir (literally "see you again", means goodbye) pardon (sorry) excusez-moi (excuse me)

abattoir abbey baguette baluster boudoir bouquet garni adroit affair buffet cafetire ycarte blanche cach chattel ycouturier croquette delicatessen entre etiquette faade fete fondue fuselage glac glucose glutton gradual grandeur force majeure filibuster escargots fatigu fervent bien centi- chagrin chancellor yau fait avant-garde azure

Haute couture

ymauve nouveau yparfait ingenue yjuxtaposition limousine

" tre " (to be) and " avoir " (to have) As in many european languages, " tre " (to be) and " avoir " (to have) play a special role in French. They are also referred to as auxilliaries. French language makes use of only two auxiliary verbs (tre and avoir) while English has many of them (to have, will, would, shall, should, can, could, must, might, ought to, etc.). On one hand, " tre " and " avoir " are strongly irregular but in the other hand, they are used very often. Consequently, their conjugation must be well known. In the present tense their conjugation are
:

tre (to be) je suis [si] I am tu es [] You are il/elle est [] He/She is nous sommes [some] We are vous tes [t'] They are ils/elles sont [son] They (males)/ they (females) are

avoir (to have) j'ai [j] I have tu as [a] You have il/elle a He/she has nous avons We have vous avez They have ils/elles ont [on] They (males) have / They (females) have

Conversation La famille Dupont a de nouveaux voisins. Pierre rencontre le fils de ses voisins.(The Dupont Family has new neighbours. Pierre meets the son of his neighbours. ) Pierre : Bonjour. Je m'appelle Pierre. Comment t'appelles-tu ? (Pierre : Hello, my name is Pierre. What is your name ? ) Peter : Je m'appelle Peter (Peter : My name is Peter. ) Pierre : D'o est-ce que tu viens ? (Pierre : Where do you come from ? ) Peter : Je viens d'Angleterre. Mes parents sont anglais. (Peter : I come from England. My parents are english. ) Pierre : Super ! Est-ce que tu viens de Londres ? (Pierre : Wonderful ! Do you come from London ? ) Peter : Oui. Je suis n Londres. (Peter : Yes. I was born in London. ) Pierre : Tu parles bien franais. Moi, je ne parle pas anglais. (Pierre : You speak French very well. As far as I am concerned,
I don't speak English. )

Conversation La famille Dupont a de nouveaux voisins. Pierre rencontre le fils de ses voisins. (The Dupont Family has new neighbours. Pierre meets the son of his neighbours. )

Pierre : Bonjour. Je m'appelle Pierre. Comment t'appelles-tu ? Peter : Je m'appelle Peter Pierre : D'o est-ce que tu viens ? Peter : Je viens d'Angleterre. Mes parents sont anglais. Pierre : Super ! Est-ce que tu viens de Londres ? Peter : Oui. Je suis n Londres. Pierre : Tu parles bien franais. Moi, je ne parle pas anglais.

Pierre : Hello, my name is Pierre. What is your name ? Peter : My name is Peter. Pierre : Where do you come from ? Peter : I come from England. My parents are english. Pierre : Wonderful ! Do you come from London Peter : Yes. I was born in London. Pierre : You speak French very well. As far as I am concerned, I don't speak English.